The national Art Association EMAA celebrates with a special programme

By Heidi Trautmann

On last year’s general meeting of IAA International Arts Association in Guadalajara in Mexico – a most beautiful place by the way – it was decided that the fine arts should have a world day to commemorate the role of art in the contemporary world, a role which is manifold en face its complex artistic, social and political structures. Turkey’s national committee president Bedri Baykam presented a proposal suggesting that Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday, April 15, be declared World Art Day. It was voted on and unanimously accepted by the IAA’s General Assembly. A very good choice.
All the national committees of the IAA will be contributing to World Art Day through festivities, exhibitions, panel discussions, posters, banners and parties, emphasizing the role of art in achieving peace and freedom.
The President of IAA World, Mexican Rosa Maria Burillo Velasco said, “Art is the most genuine expression of the human soul, shaped in images, words, sounds and movements enduring reflections that describe us the story of humanity. World Art Day will permit to all the artists and art lovers of the world, to feel the power and the preciousness of art simultaneously and let all of us breathe its importance for all nations of the World.” 

Also our art association EMAA (European Mediterraneam Art Association) has worked on a comprehensive programme to contribute to the festive framework of the World Arts Day.

First of all they will again bring forward some important topics concerning the arts which already were on the table of discussion with the government last year; the fulfillment of the promises are still outstanding. I have talked to EMAA about these points:

-The law should be changed for artists to bring their art work in and out of Cyprus for participating in exhibitions in other countries.

-Public places and open spaces should be made available for art work; especially the airport Ercan, as it is the custom in all other airports worldwide;

-the decision of what art is regarded as worthy and where it should be placed should be  subject to the control and authorization by art experts and advisors;

-A contemporary art museum should be made available and those few venues already existing renovated for proper use, complete with proper archive system and expert handling (curator); at the moment the state collections are stored in the basement of the Atatürk Cultural Centre and are being photographed and digitalized. A humble beginning.

-All municipalities should have an art consultant following up cultural events and communicating with each other to establish functioning levels of culture and art.

-Art education in schools should be brought to the level of modern thinking;

-Persons, institutions and companies sponsoring art events should be able to get a deduction of tax;  art organisations and artists should be exempt from VAT;

-There should be a special Fund to support young artists to travel to exhibitions, workshops and exchange of knowledge.

The programme of celebration includes the long overdue exhibition “Gönen Atakol – Retrospective 1970 – 2013” which will be from April 17 to 27 at the EMAA Arts Centre; this event will be followed by panel discussions which are meant to honour valuable people of the arts scene in Cyprus. On April 24 will be the first panel to cover the period of 1960 – 1985; the periods discussed thereafter will be 1985 – 2000; and 2000 to today. “We have realized that so much good work was done by people who have not been properly acknowledged and hardly anyone speaks about them anymore; we will take care of that. This project is in cooperation with the Eastern Mediterranean University, Department of Cyprus Studies which will support us with their archive material.”

Another art event will fall within the time frame of the World Arts Day that is the arrival of artists from Turkey for the “Apartment Art Project” of which I will report separately after the meeting of the intercultural group at the Goethe Institute on April 19.

We raise our voices: “Art and the artists for a better world!”